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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Scale Says

This week, I followed my plan fairly well. I ate mainly whole foods; in fact, the one part of my plan that I *didn't* follow was to only eat a Medifast meal as snacks if I got hungry between meals. I started subbing a half ounce of nuts, a piece of fruit, some veggies and hummus, a yogurt smoothie, or a hard boiled egg. I didn't count calories except for 2 days where I logged and got around 1700-1800 per day. I think that is about what I was eating, except for the one night that I ate a large bowl of ice cream. That day was over 2000.

I walked, and I biked, and I did my PT. And I got on the scale today and it said I had gained 2 pounds since last Sunday. 217. I'd be unhappy except that earlier this week it was 218. And do you know when the last time was that I saw the scale go down AT ALL? It was more than a month ago. In the past month, every time I got on the scale it was either the same or UP. I have gained 2, 3, even 5 pounds each week since switching back to a whole foods approach. The fact that the scale actually, finally turned around and ticked DOWN is such a relief. Maybe things will turn around now. I do feel my sanity about food returning. For awhile there it was a struggle to NOT want to eat everything in sight.

Great! A small loss is ALWAYS better than a small gain! The way you say it, makes it very clear that whole foods suits your body and aids weight loss! As always wishing you the very best; I know you will get there! :-)Gavz

Have you considered NOT weighing yourself as often as you do? I notice my perception of myself is often determined by what number is on the scale. What if you weighed yourself once a month? My eating disorder therapist has given me this challenge. I notice that bad feelings about not losing- or not losing enough overshadowed any good feelings I have when I lose "enough". I am tired of my self-worth being determined by a piece of equipment. It (the number) means nothing, really. Bonita

I'm glad it's going well, though I admit to being a little concerned that you are going from one extreme (medifast, very low calories) to another (not measuring quantities OR counting calories, large bowl of ice cream). You sound dedicated to finding something that'll work long term, which is fantastic. And I'm not saying a life entirely without ice cream bears contemplation. But I remember once before you decided to try whole foods, and simultaneously gave up weighing/measuring/counting, and decided that eating whole foods didn't work for you when you gained weight. I hope things continue to go well for you, and that eyeballing/occasionally checking calories works out. I'm just saying that there are in-between approaches that might be worth considering, if at some point a change becomes necessary.

Congrats on the tick down on the scale, the long-term goal work, and the honesty and sincerity with which you share your journey. I'm trying to keep up with my own weight loss work and it is not going very well right now and I want to backslide into old habits. But since forward is the only direction time goes, I must go too:)

Here's an article you might enjoy, maybe you've already seen it. It has a silly headline, but great information about the calorie/hormone connection and why that standard "eat less/exercise more" claptrap advice is so ineffective for so many.

"One more thing to understand about this is that calories impact hormones and hormones impact calories. They are not separate but which one you choose to focus on will determine your success with fat loss. Take a “calories first approach” by eating less and exercising more, and you will change hormones in a negative direction leading to a slower metabolism and compensatory hunger, cravings and energy lows. Take a “hormones first approach” by eating more of the right things more often and exercising smarter, and you will automatically end up in a caloric deficit without the hormonal slow down and without the compensatory eating reactions. In other words, take care of the hormones and the calories take care of themselves, take care of the calories first and deal with an onslaught of negative hormonal consequences. Which would you rather choose?"

"The weight loss puzzle is an intricate one, with very few success stories compared to failures. In fact, most people are reluctant to discuss this reality since it is a source of much confusion, frustration and debate. After all, if you achieve results and someone else does not, it is easy to chalk it up to that person being a lazy glutton. However, by putting calories in the context of hormonal metabolism, you can finally understand why some people struggle so mightily. Hormonal metabolism is the key to weight loss success. It circumvents willpower, controls hunger, and directly determines the amount and type of calories burned."

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Who IS this person?

I am 38 years old, female, a degree-holding stay-at-home-mom, and I weigh 278 pounds. I have been obese for ten years now. Time to get out of this fat prison I have made for myself.
--This is the original introduction I wrote when I first started this blog in 2007. I leave it as a reminder to myself of where I came from. Currently, I am 46 years old and weigh significantly less...see the blog for details. I lost 103 pounds, then had a partial regain, and am once again working at weight loss and better health.

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